


Breaking the Cycle

by symbioticSimplicity



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: BOTW Two ideas, Canon-Typical Violence, Complex relationships, F/M, Ganon is not evil, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Multi-ship nightmare, Original character for plot reasons, Re-hydrated Ganon thirst, Slight Character Death, Team Bonding, Teamwork makes the dream work, i don't really know how to tag this honestly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:33:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22636798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/symbioticSimplicity/pseuds/symbioticSimplicity
Summary: The Calamity has been defeated, but in doing so Link and Zelda unknowingly unleash a force far worse onto Hyrule. Their only hope to set everything right again comes in the form of their sworn enemy.Or, I really wanted an excuse to write Re-Hydrated Ganon and a plot was birthed along with it.
Relationships: Ganondorf & Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Ganondorf/Original Character(s), Link/Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda), Link/Prince Sidon, Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 105





	1. What Do You Mean Killing Ganon Was A Bad Idea?

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, everyone! This is I believe my first work for this fandom and has so far been a ton of fun! Enjoy!

Defeating Calamity Ganon was _supposed_ to be the end of it. 

He was the biggest bad around, the blight that had plagued the land for one hundred years, prophesied to be defeated by Link the Hero of Hyrule, thus saving every man woman and child in Hyrule, finally freeing the precious princess Zelda. That's how the story went, that's how the story _always_ went. Sure, the Calamity form was new, but it shouldn't really have changed anything.

Link quickly discovered that it changed _everything_.

Before he could even reassure Zelda that _yes_ , he did remember her, the ground began to shake.

He was moving before he could even think to, wrapping a swift arm around her waist on instinct alone. Though it wasn't as if he was any more able to balance than she was with the earth rioting beneath them. 

The tremors easily toppled them both, fissures the size of arms erupting like spiderwebs all around them. Zelda held tight to him, breathing fast, eyes searching faster as she looked for the source of the danger. 

~~_I_ **_w_ ** _i_ **_ll_ ** _n_ **_o_ ** _t be d_ **_e_ ** _n_ **_ie_ ** _d_ ~~

The voice was unlike any Link had ever heard. It was so ancient, so _angry_ it felt like a physical thing. It tore like razors, like swords, like _claws_ from Link's spine all the way up to the crest of his head, burning all the way. Zelda's hands flew up to grip at her head as the voice continued to howl through the air, her breaths coming in little uneven gasps as the presence of it became suffocating.

~~_I w_ **_il_ ** _l no_ **_t_ ** _be s_ **_t_ ** _r_ **_uc_ ** _k do_ **_w_ ** _n a_ **_gai_ ** _n_ ~~

The ground thirty feet from them blistered open, black ooze pouring from it the way pus erupted from a wound. It was the same ooze that had tainted everything Ganon had touched, though now it seemed even more vile, corrosive in it's malice, wilting the grass and eroding the ground where it touched.

~~**_C_ ** _on_ **_sum_ ** _e! I w_ **_il_ ** _l_ **_co_ ** _nsu_ **_me_ ** ~~

"Link," Zelda's voice strained up to his ears, "We must get away from here!"

She was right, of course. But Link could barely feel his legs. He was still exhausted from finally defeating Ganon not moments ago, and this new threat had zapped what little strength he'd had with it's dark magic. Still, he was a good soldier to the last, forcing himself to try to move.

He couldn't even manage a lurch.

Zelda as well was straining to move, but she wasn't any better off. After one hundred years of keeping the ultimate evil at bay, she was drained as well. Her eyes were hardly open, even with the terror shining behind them.

But if they didn't move, they would die. And if they died...

Link begged his limbs to move, to at least crawl behind a rock, somewhere farther away from the seething evil leaching out of the ground. But it was useless, he _couldn't_.

His eyes found Zelda's as he tried to apologize for failing her yet again. The only thing he was met with was a gentle smile.

"I understand." Her voice was so soft he nearly couldn't hear her over the pervasive growling, "You've done more than enough Link. It's okay. Close your eyes."

He wanted to fight it, loath to simply lay down and die. It wasn't in his nature, it wasn't in _their_ nature. They always fought, stood before great danger defiant and radiant as they faced what no one else could.

But there was nothing he could do. His legs wouldn't move and his arms wouldn't support his weight, let alone grip his sword. His breath hitched on the tail end of something like a sob.

"I'm sorry princess." He forced out, the sound hardly loud enough to be called a whisper.

"I'm sorry too Link." She replied, letting her own eyes slip closed.

There was nothing for it, no clever plan, no last minute saving grace. The blackness was only feet from them now, having been advancing steadily. It would reach Zelda first, and Link found that he couldn't bare to watch. It took the heart out of him, but he forced himself to close his eyes. 

_You must be kidding me._

The voice that spoke this time was unfamiliar to Link, though some part of him immediately recognized it.

But... that was impossible!

_You are not going to lay here and die like **cattle**. Unacceptable. Get the hell up! _

Link's eyes flew open, finding Zelda's own eyes staring back at him. Evidently he wasn't the only one to have heard that. 

Link's eye caught sight of his right hand, where his triforce usually lay dormant only to find the triangular rune glowing. But instead of the lower triangle being lit up as it usually was when the goddess reached out to him, it was the top one lit up brilliantly.

_I'll lend you my strength for now, but you're going to pay me back later. So get a goddamn move on!_

Link felt like he'd been hit by a shock arrow, but instead of pain, pure energy burst through him. He felt like he could take on at least two armies of monsters and probably even a Hinox all at once. 

This time, when he called upon his body to move, it responded. Still a little sluggish but Link had done more with less. He didn't let the feeling go to waste, bolting to his feet, and dragging Zelda up with him. Zelda, who it seemed had received a similar rejuvenation.

She reached around him with not an ounce of warning and plucked her bow from his back. She turned, deadly graceful, on the tip of her toe and fired a holy arrow right in the middle of the black mass that had been creeping up towards them. It screamed as it evaporated.

 _Thatta girl!_ The second voice commended, _Now get the hell out of here!_

Link didn't need to be told again, grabbing a hold of Zelda's hand and running in the opposite direction as quickly as either one of them was capable of.

Thirty feet away they found Link's horse, as it had spooked after the earthquake. Link soothed it before they both climbed up onto it's back, headed anywhere but there. He didn't have a destination in mind, his head too fuzzy and full of adrenaline to pick a place. 

By the time they dropped out of gallop the energy boost they'd been given was beginning to wane. Link had only managed to keep them riding out of sheer stubbornness. Although he owed a lot to his horse, Wild, he'd named the solid green stallion for his disposition, who continued on without a lot of prompting from him.

He felt Zelda slump against his chest before long and only just kept them both from falling off of the horse. Camp had come when Link couldn't bare to keep his eyes open for much longer.

He'd set up quickly and sloppily, barely managing a fire to keep the monsters away before he fell asleep, curled protectively around Zelda.

Link dreamt of a temple.

It wasn't one he remembered seeing, at least not the way it appeared in his dream. It was vaguely familiar, the lay out of it, but he couldn't remember such an elegant and pristine structure existing in Hyrule any more.

"You sure like to keep me waiting."

Link turned to the sound of the voice, the same one that had called out to him as he and Zelda nearly met their deaths. Though he knew what he would see, it still surprised him.

The speaker was a large Gerudo man with the baring of a king. His red hair was as long as that of the female Gerudo, though no one would ever mistake him for a vai. Not with the impressively muscular build, the thick red beard, and the harsh lines of his angular face. His eyes were as gold as topaz, and somehow Link knew this was the first time he'd seen them look at him and see anything other than bane. His posture was relaxed, which was another first, and it served well to gentle him enough to keep from spooking the hero.

"Ganondorf." Link said, though the word almost sounded like a question.

The redhead smiled, though the expression was hardly pleasant, "Ah, I wasn't sure you would recognize me in this form. I didn't spend much time corporeal this go around."

Link was sure that he would recognize the man anywhere, no matter what form he took. The burning in his chest as he took him in was unmistakable. An acrid taste clawed up the back of his tongue.

"Why did you save us?" Link cut to the chase.

Ganon took a deep breath, any merth he'd accumulated disappearing in an instant. 

"There are things I'm sure you're not aware of." He explained, "You're lucky enough to forget everything in between lifetimes. You and Zelda both. But I don't. I remember every single life we've lived since the beginning."

Link frowned, feeling curiously sympathetic, an emotion that felt as misplaced as laughter at a funeral.

"It's part and parcel with my aspect of the triforce. Din's power allows me to use several abilities you and Zelda cannot. But it also puts me at a certain disadvantage. I am _far_ more susceptible to... _that_ God."

"A God?" 

"Surely you didn't think all the Gods were good, did you?" Ganon chuckled humorlessly, "Some Gods are similar to men. They desire power just as we do, and will seek it by any means necessary. He is called Demise, the God turned Demon King who first sought the triforce for it's power. He was defeated by a champion then sealed away by Hylia eons ago, if not completely. He was so full of hatred and malice that it couldn't be fully contained even by the Goddess's power, and his influence placed a curse on the triforce. So long as it existed, so too would he. Since then, our story has played out in every generation as his rage festered, creating a vessel to enact his revenge. I'll give you three guesses who and the first two don't count."

Link gasped, a cold feeling gripping the pit of his stomach, even in a dream.

"So you see, every lifetime that we play through this same situation, is another lifetime that Demise was able to gather more and more of his power. Each time he resurrected, he came back stronger and stronger until this time, he had no need to use me as a vessel any more. He broke me not three years in and assumed the form of Calamity, almost entirely ingesting my body to do so. With the cycle broken, it broke the connection you two had to the triforce as well. The princess's powers remained out of reach and you failed to defend Hyrule."

Ganon finally faced Link again, his expression devoid of nearly anything, "But you eventually killed me."

Link crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"No, you did." Ganon grinned though there was no humor to be found in it, "The vessel that held Demise is dead. That was the last vestiges of me in this lifetime, the last tie to mortality that held him in check. Normally that would have been enough to send him back into the void for a while. But this time he planned differently. Once you destroyed the last piece of him that was me, it unleashed Demise in his true form. Unfortunate that."

Link pressed the heel of his palm to his furrowed brow, trying to smooth it back out. What were they supposed to do against a literal God? 

Ganon shrugged, "Hell if I know."

Link's head snapped back up, certain he hadn't said that out loud.

"It's a dream, Link. You don't _have_ to say it out loud." Ganon rolled his own eyes, "Besides you have the loudest body language of any Hylian on the planet."

Link let it stand, instead pointedly wondering how they were going to go about stopping a threat this immense.

"If I knew how to stop him do you honestly think we would even _be_ here right now?" Ganon sighed, "I may not be the most morally upstanding person around but even I don't want Demise roaming free. Besides, he's taken over my body and lived my life for me countless times, and I have grown weary of it."

The Hylian winced, having not considered this from Ganon's perspective. Why would he have? Up until a few minutes ago he'd thought the man was just plain evil.

Ganon sighed again, shaking his head. 

"I don't know how to stop him, but I think there may be a way to restart the cycle."

But wouldn't that-

"I know Link." He looked tiredly up at the other, "Trust me, if I could think of any other way, I would pick it a thousand fold. This is the last thing I want."

The Gerudo man got to his feet, towering nearly three feet above Link, and suddenly the Hylian wondered what on earth could possess him to continually fight a man so much larger than himself.

"You must promise me something though." He said, his voice surprisingly soft.

Link tilted his head back in an effort to look the man in the eyes.

Ganon grinned, though the look hardly touched his eyes, "Remember me this time."

Before Link could agree to the promise he woke up to the sound of Zelda calling his name.

Link was unsurprised to learn that Zelda had also had an encounter with Ganondorf while she had slept.

What did surprise him however was learning that during the hundred years she had been battling him, Zelda had long ago learned the truth of Demise. 

"While I was in there," She said softly, "It didn't feel like a _battle_. More like I was trying very hard to stay awake while at the limits of exhaustion. I might not have made it if not for Ganondorf."

Link cocked his head in confusion.

"At first he was taunting me, which while unpleasant, it gave me something to focus on. But with time, he grew bored of that. One hundred years is a very long time, Link. With nothing else to do, he told me our story. I listened while he spoke for hours at a time, detailing everything he could remember from the first time we all met up until now. At first I thought he was trying to pull something. Obviously his story had to be part of some elaborate plan to gain my trust. Like he was trying to get me to feel sympathetic to him. I imagine you have likely reached the same conclusion."

Nodding, Link crossed his arms and sat back from his princess. Though he hadn't said much of anything about what he thought of all this, Zelda had figured it out anyway. She was very astute, something that Link himself couldn't imagine being able to do.

"But he never made any move towards it." She sighed, her expression troubled, "Once he... once he figured out why I paid such close attention to what he told me, he would talk for as long as he could. He told me everything from the myths of his people, to petty grudges held in their tribe. Anything so that I could have something to focus on." 

Link nodded solemnly, finding the information a little much to digest, but after his own meeting with Ganondorf, not entirely unbelievable.

"I still don't trust him," Zelda said firmly, "Only a fool would trust the King of Thieves. But I do believe he will help us stop Demise. He stands to gain even more than we do, so it's well within his best interests to stop him."

The blond Hylian let out a long slow breath as the idea settled heavy in his stomach. It felt weird, uncomfortable like long nails down his spine, but Zelda was right. This enemy was far beyond either of them alone.

"Will you tell me what you're thinking?" Zelda asked softly, her gaze concerned, "I'm very nervous."

Though his silence was no longer necessary, old habits die hard. He rubbed the heel of his hand over his cheeks, taking a long breath before he spoke.

"Hate it." He replied, his voice a little hoarse from disuse, "But it's the best we've got."

Zelda nodded, pressing her clasped hands against her chest.

"That's where I'm at as well. I never thought I'd see the day when Hyrule's fate rested with Ganon."

Link shook his head, reaching out his hand to meet her knee, even if a little tentatively.

"You're right." She sighed, squaring her shoulders, "He's a means to an end, nothing else. Once this is finished... nothing will have changed. Things will go back to the way they've always been."

She placed one of her hands over Link's, meeting his eyes as she reassured herself. He gave her a little nod of his own, watching the steel straighten her spine.

"Right. Then in the morning, we set out. We're going to need to... collect Ganon's body."


	2. A Plan In Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I based quite a lot of things in here on how I played the game. And I play the game like I'm a cast member of the show 'Jackass'. Meaning my Link is going to do some absolutely insane and dangerous shit. You have been warned.

Link wasn't made for stealth missions. 

Even decked out in his Sheikah gear, having eaten his stealthy greens, he was hardly suited for such jobs. Sure he was small, and light so he should have been the ideal candidate for such a mission. But Link found he by far excelled at simply destroying whatever was in his way and walking past unimpeded as opposed to sneaking past a threat. 

However, there was absolutely  _ no _ way he could fight Demise.

The plan was simple, as many of the most difficult to execute plans were. Get close, grab Ganon's body, and get out. He could see the thing from the top of the column he was using as a lookout. It was thin, looking as close to a raisin as physically possible for an eight foot tall body. It shouldn't be a problem to grab it and run.

The biggest issue was its location.

It wasn't at the heart of Demise's black ooze, thank Hylia, but it was surrounded by those glowing orange and black eyes. Which meant one wrong move and Demise would immediately know he was there.

Link wanted nothing to do with a mission like this. 

So he did what he always did.

One breath in, one breath out, shoulders squared, mind focused on only what he could see in front of him.

"I'll be waiting for you just over this hill." Zelda repeated for the third time, worry clear on her face, "May Nayru guide your steps."

She pressed her heels into Wild's flanks, guiding the stallion gracefully up over the hill.

Huh. It was kind of nice having someone to wish him luck. It had been since.... well since Sidon, the enthusiastic Zora Prince, since he'd had someone to cheer him on. If there was anything Link thrived on, it was living up to expectations.

And extreme life threatening danger, but hopefully that could come much much later.

Or never. Never was good.

Link forced himself to focus on the task at hand once again. He'd rest when the Goddesses mercifully let him die. 

He crouched down low in the grass, thankful for his small stature so that the vegetation almost entirely covered him up. It made it easier to sneak closer, closer until he found a tree to hide behind. He was still too far to dash and grab, but he hadn't been spotted yet, which was a definitive plus. 

He peered around the corner and stopped breathing all together when his nose nearly met one of Demise's eye beasts. Though he was less than a centimeter away from the thing, it didn't see him, a boon he could certainly attribute to his armor.

This one appeared to have attached itself to a very unlucky deer. The sight of it turned Link's stomach, anger pooling in at watching the land he'd fought so hard for be crippled before it had even the scantest chance to heal. 

He wanted to set Demise on fire. It wouldn't kill him, but if nothing else it would still sting like a bitch.

He  _ wanted  _ to kill the poor thing, save it the misery of being home to such evil, but that would raise the alarm. He kept repeating to himself that they would fix this as the doe stumbled on past him.

Link breathed in slowly, having not done so since he'd come face to face with the beast, and forced himself to forge on. 

He decided to take to the trees. He was a lot more agile in the air, and it gave him a lot more options should he slip up. Plus the comfort of a little extra camouflage was a great bonus.

Before long he'd made his way to the tree closest to where Ganon's body lay. 

It looked even worse up close. It was dried out and leather skinned as if it had been dead for years, decades even, instead of a day. Link couldn't imagine what use Ganon could possibly have for the thing, but magic had never really been his forte anyway.

Now, there were about three ways he could do this ranging from justifiably risky, to absolutely batshit insane. Reasonably he knew he should go with the least dangerous option, but he was also the same man who had taken on two Lynels back to back without a shield before facing The Calamity itself not two days ago. Plans in his experience usually left one open and vulnerable when they inevitably didn't work out.

Plus he just didn't have any rope on him.

Plan ‘Fuck It’ it was!

Link cracked his neck before he jumped from his tree, angling himself to land right in the middle of the lump of black ooze surrounding Ganon's body. It wouldn't be the first time he'd intentionally walked through this goop to get somewhere he needed to be. It hurt like hell, but he could certainly take it.

Except that this wasn't just Ganon's evil, this was  _ Demise _ .

The pain was splintering, as if every bone and organ in his body split open on impact. The force of it was so jarring it brought him to his knees immediately, unable even to scream as the air had been ripped from his lungs.

It wasn't the first time he'd felt this kind of pain, which was probably the only thing that kept him from immediately passing out. As it was, he nearly forgot what he was doing there to begin with.

Body. Take. Right.

If Link were a more verbose person, he would have been swearing, damn the consequences. Lifting his arm felt as though his skin were melting off, his muscles carved away from his bones as they splintered again and again and again. He was certain he was weeping, he must be, but he couldn't feel anything past the pain of it all. 

When his fingers clasped around Ganon's bony, leathery wrist, he nearly dropped it as his knuckles fractured.

The hard part was over, the worst behind him. He didn't need to breathe, there was glass in his lungs anyway, he just needed to roll forward. That was all, and it would stop. He could do that, he could, he could,  _ he could! _

Dimly he noticed the triforce on his hand glowing, the triangle that he represented lit up this time and he forced himself to swallow down the bile and  _ roll. _

It was harder with Ganon in tow, but not by much, the skeleton hardly weighing as much as Link himself. Regardless, he did it, pulling free of the ooze while trailing Ganon's body behind him.

The pain stopped immediately. He would have thought it had never been there at all, if he weren't able to vividly recall the echoes of it. He drew in a perhaps slightly frantic breath as he darted back behind his tree with his... prize.

Somehow, despite having landed directly in his goop, Demise's larger form still hadn't sensed his presence. How long had it taken for him to wrest control back? Was he really that quick? It had felt like forever.

Well, it hardly mattered. What was important was that he had completed his task, for better or worse.

Link took out his Sheikah slate-or was it Zelda's now that she was back?-and tapped on the shrine just over the hill where Zelda would be waiting for him. The blue light picked him apart in that familiar way and less than ten seconds later he was weightlessly beaming back to the shrine.

Zelda was pacing when he reassembled, a serious look on her face as she did. But the moment she saw him begin to appear she stopped and ran over to him.

"Link! I was beginning to worry!" She exclaimed before seeming to remember herself, "Did you get it?"

Link, somewhat disgustedly, held up the corpse he'd nearly gotten killed for. 

She grinned at him, her ears perked up high and her cheeks bunching up until her eyes nearly disappeared. It was adorable and Link felt his heart clench. He still didn't remember as much about her as he felt he should have, but with a smile like that no wonder he'd been so willing to risk his life for her. She smiled like the sun.

"My knight you truly are extraordinary," She said not unaffectionately, "Is there nothing you can't do?"

Link scratched the back of his head shyly, prompting her to giggle at his embarrassment.

_ Well, well, _ Ganon's now familiar voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere all at once,  _ Aren't you just the little twink who could. Well done Link. _

The Hylian's expression morphed into annoyance without delay. How did Ganon manage to make praise seem patronizing?

"I presume you have a plan." Zelda called out to him, her formality fixed right back into place, "What's our next step."

_ Mmm, this is where things start to become tricky. _ He sounded faintly amused and Link hated it already.

"Do go on." How Zelda could sound so cordial was beyond Link.

_ As you can see, my body is quite deteriorated. In the years Calamity has reigned, it kept it preserved to continue to serve as it's connection to this world. It's a simple matter to put a soul back into a body, but getting a body fit for a soul is entirely more complex I'm afraid. _

"Cut to the chase." Link sighed.

_ There are a few places in Hyrule that can be used for this, but I suggest the healing Goron Springs. You'll need a few people of considerable power to work a spell like this too. _

"Who?" Zelda sounded wary as though she already had a guess as to who it could be.

_ Someone adept at healing, to properly channel the spring's magic, someone adept with magical ingredients to make potions to continue the healing, someone familiar with Gerudo to make certain the body heals as it is meant to, and of course someone who can channel my soul back inside of my body. _

"And who do you suggest we employ for such  _ obvious  _ dark magic?" 

_ I'm certain Link has met someone to fit each of these qualifications in his travels. _

Link was certain he’d never met a single person who would fit even  _ one  _ of those requirements.

"Ganondorf you are leaving far too much to chance." Zelda crossed her arms, the troubled look roiling back across her features.

_ It's hardly  _ **_chance_ ** _ , princess. I have the  _ **_utmost_ ** _ faith in both of you _ . 

It was striking, but that was the first genuine sounding thing Ganon had said since he'd saved them. Link didn't at all care for how it made the hero in him yearn not to disappoint him. 

"I mean, we've certainly been enough thus far." Zelda's lip quirked up ever so slightly, "How many times have we beaten you Ganon?"

_ Careful princess. _ His voice was fond and warning all at once and... were they teasing each other?

Zelda grinned a little wider, "I'm only kidding Ganondorf." 

They  _ were _ . 

_ What? _

While Link was having what amounted to an existential crisis, Zelda tried to cast her mind out to Link's adventures. It was fuzzier now that she wasn't essentially just energy. A physical body really put a damper on certain things. 

She knew Link likely wouldn't have ever considered what the people he'd met might be capable of, but as a princess, well  _ queen  _ really now, it was her job to consider people from every angle. Off the top of her head she could think of at least two people they might be able to repurpose to help them with this insane mission of theirs. Although, it would be quite a stretch. 

She glanced over at the body Link had recovered and tried not to let herself be too disheartened. This plan was already a long shot, but it was their best shot too. And goddess be damned she would make it work even if it took everything out of her. She hadn't staved off the Calamity for a hundred years just to lose anyway.

With that thought firmly rooted in her mind she called out to Link.

"I think I know where our first stop should be."


	3. A Beedle In Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my updates are so infrequent. I'm sketch.
> 
> I love Beedle and I refuse to leave him out of anything. Zelda is a wholeass Queen, Link is a feral ass goblin and Ganon is a little shit and we love that for him. Please appreciate the horse details as I know far more about horses than I ever wanted to. Also bonding. Yay!

The stable wasn't too far away, only a few miles, and with Wild so keyed up, it didn't take more than an hour to ride there. The green stallion was a little barn sour, which at this point Link could hardly blame him for. He wanted to be inside and away from this craziness too.

As he handed Wild over to the stable's attendant, he began to wonder who they'd come here for. He couldn't imagine any great sorcerer would be hanging around a stable, especially one this remote.

He went looking for Zelda to ask her that exact question, only to find her in chats with Beedle, the traveling merchant.

"How much do you know about the things you sell?" Zelda was asking.

"Oh everything! Beedle makes a point to know everything about his merchandise! Can't sell something if you don't know what it does!" He answered her with a winning grin and a little dance, "What are you looking for?"

Zelda, for her part, looked almost exactly the way Link was certain he looked when he interacted with the energetic salesman. He was just so endearing, charming even despite his physical appearance. She looked as though she were having a hard time refraining from patting his head.

"Link!" The salesman cheered when he saw the other approach, "Ah! Did you finally find a girlfriend?"

Link blushed and shook his head frantically, not unprepared for the assumption but embarrassed nonetheless.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to assume!" Beedle threw his hands up.

"Can you keep a secret?" Zelda leaned in a little closer, her expression nigh conspiratorial.

Beedle nodded, his own blush burning back down as some of the embarrassment faded in light of curiosity.

"I'm Princess Zelda." She whispered to the man.

"WHAT?!" Beedle shot up straight, his eyes now frantically looking her over as he tried to figure out if he believed her or not.

"Keep your voice down!" She shushed him, gripping him by one shoulder as she pressed her pointer finger to her lips, expression deadly serious, "No one can know I've been freed."

Beedle nodded, whimpering from between his sealed lips.

"Now, the reason I've told you this is that Link and I are on another very important mission. The Calamity was defeated but it opened up the way for something worse. We will defeat it, but to do that we need the help of a few very special people, and I think you could be one of those people Mr. Beedle."

"Just Beedle is fine, Mr. Beedle was my father." The merchant squeaked somewhat hysterically.

Zelda smiled at him, gentle and kind and Link could see the man's shoulders ease, "Beedle then. If I were to ask you, would you help me?"

He nodded sharply, though his expression was still twisted in fear and his hands were shaking, "Of course princess! Whatever Beedle can do, he will do!"

Oh god Link was going to hug him before this was over. They both deserved that.

"You're a very brave man, Beedle." Zelda brushed her hand over his cheek, her smile every bit as luminous and brilliant as the stars that were beginning to creep up the horizon, "I appreciate your valor. Tonight, rest and I will explain to you what I'm going to ask of you. Tomorrow, your journey begins."

Beedle nodded, gulping hard as he obviously tried to reign in his fear. It was courage at it's finest, present in a man who had no reason other than goodness to agree to what would likely be an impossible task.

"Please, tell Beedle everything."

To Link's surprise, Beedle handled everything Zelda told him quite well. He only fainted once and he made it quite a way through his dinner before he started shaking too hard to hold his fork. 

He didn't scream though, which was admirable. Link could remember when all of this was thrown on him, only just a few months ago. He'd wanted to scream so loud it woke someone better qualified to deal with all this. But destiny was rarely so kind, and he would never forget the abject terror that had seized him when he'd had to accept being responsible for something so greatly important.

He'd never really felt like a Legendary Hero, even in the memories he'd collected. He usually just felt like a normal guy running around screaming, winging everything and surviving just by the skin of his teeth. He couldn't imagine being someone who didn't even at least a little understanding of weapons choosing to go into this.

Beedle was braver than he'd  _ ever  _ be.

"I don't know how much help I'll be," Beedle spoke directly into his cup of warm milk, his gaze locked on his feet, "But if you think I can do what you need, I'd be more than willing to give it a try."

Zelda put a gentle hand on his forearm, causing the man to slowly, nervously look up to meet her eyes. Her face bespoke of pride, of gratefulness, and it was one Link  _ knew  _ he'd gladly ridden into battle for numerous times. 

"I have  _ faith  _ in you, Beedle." She said with feeling, "That is why I chose you. If there were ever someone who could forge through such a hardship, I believe it would be you."

Beedle looked absolutely enchanted for a long moment before he caught himself staring and rushed to thank her.

"I will have to make a stop along the way." He said almost to himself as he recovered, "There is a man who knows even better what we will need for something like this."

Link frowned while Zelda asked, "Whom?"

"Ah!" Beedle startled again, obviously he hadn't intended to say that out loud, "He's a man who sells and buys monster parts! He and Beedle have talked before and he's taught me a lot of what I know about potions!"

Link clapped his hands together suddenly, startling both Zelda and Beedle.

"Do you know who he's talking about?" Zelda blinked at him.

Link nodded frantically, tapping at his Sheikah slate until the item he was looking for was ejected.

He held the sleek, purple bottle out to Zelda, watching her frown consideringly at it.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Beedle flapped one of his hands, "That's monster extract isn't it! He's the one who makes that!"

Zelda uncorked the bottle, sniffing delicately at it only to immediately recoil with her ears pressed flat against the sides of her head in disgust.

"That... has a very distinctive smell to it, to be certain." She handed Link back the offensive little bottle, only gripping it with the tips of her fingers.

"It's not for sniffing, princess! It's for eating!" Beedle explained as Link took the opportunity to drizzle a little over the remains of his dinner.

"I'm sorry,  _ what?" _ Zelda grimaced as she watched Link begin to shovel down his now, very purple food.

"It's almost like a seasoning." Beedle shrugged, not looking much more appetized than Zelda, "I've never met anyone brave enough to actually eat it though."

"I imagine not." She forced herself to look away, "However, you said you think this..."

"Kilton!"

"Kilton, can be of assistance to you? Do you think he can keep all of this to himself?"

"Definitely! He's a real loner, won't post up in town or at the stables like the rest of us. I don't think he would have anyone to tell even if he wanted to, if I'm honest your majesty."

She nodded, letting her shoulders sag ever-so-slightly, "Good."

Beedle nodded again, seeming re-energized at the idea of not going this alone, even if it was Kilton who he'd be partnered with. 

"Together, I think we may just be able to do what you're asking." Beedle sipped his milk, not noticing the little mustache it left behind as he gazed up at the stars, "Together."

They set off in different directions as soon as the sun rose. 

Link lent Beedle one of his horses, Renegade, a powerful young mare with a gentle temperament perfect for new riders. He'd been nervous to get on her back, unused to traveling by horseback. It had taken Link ten minutes to get the man to sit upright. 

"Now remember, if she starts to disobey you, give her a little affection. Stop and give her a little rest, maybe an apple or two and she'll be your best friend." Link explained.

At the mention of an apple, the horse nickered, lipping curiously at Beedle's shoulder. It caused the merchant to give a squeak, though this time he didn't try to run off. Progress.

"For the road." The blonde Hylian smiled, reaching an apple out to her.

Renegade happily took the offered treat, crunching it between her teeth with a happy little wiggle of her head.

"G-good girl." Beedle breathed out, tentatively petting her neck. 

Renegade leaned into the pets, making Link smile as Beedle began to scratch. 

Zelda rode up then, mounted on one of his other horses, a blue roan he'd named Trouble for how arduous she'd been to catch. Three and a half hours and a completely soaked tunic and trousers later, he'd checked in the trouble-making mare. She was more playful than either Renegade or Wild, but Zelda had her cantering beautifully. 

She rode English, which considering that she was royalty and had likely had lessons, wasn't all that surprising. Link had had lessons too, but he preferred to ride Western. It was just easier, especially for when he had to fight on horseback. 

What it didn't do however, was make the rider look like a vision of the goddess straight out of the mind of a painter. Which was what Zelda was currently doing.

"I don't understand why you named her Trouble." Zelda began as she came closer, "She's perfectly well behaved."

Link could swear the mare sent him a shit eating grin as she shook her mane and stood up a little taller. Shithead.

"Keep her." Link said as he swung himself up onto Wild, "Likes you better."

"Would you like to be mine, Trouble?" The princess asked in that honey sweet teasing tone of hers, "Us girls should stick together after all."

The mare whinnied.

"Well then it's settled." She trotted up to Link, bumping Trouble's flank against Wild's, "Thank you Link."

He gave her a little smile and a nod.

"So that was the easy one." She began as they parted ways with Beetle, "The next one is... well I know you  _ must  _ have gotten into Gerudo town somehow." 

Link cast a look over to her, one that Zelda pointedly ignored.

"There's no better place to find someone with an extensive knowledge on Gerudo physiology. If we're lucky, we might even find someone who has a working knowledge of men too."

It took a moment for Link to catch the joke, but when he did a laugh barked out of him. The princess was ornery today. He didn't remember her being this way in the few memories he'd recovered, but he had to be honest, he very much enjoyed it.

They continued on like that for some time, with Zelda discussing her thoughts and Link listening while providing feedback only where needed. 

It was a familiar routine, one Link was sure they'd fallen into many a time before. Zelda was surprisingly easy company to keep. She didn't ask Link to give more than he was willing to share, and seemed to consider his suggestions where they came. Her voice was pleasant and easy to listen to now that it wasn't exclusively dyed with anxiety. Her accent was delicate and light, even if it caused Link to mishear her from time to time. Not that it much mattered.

By the time they stopped to eat, Link felt so much more settled in his skin than he had since he'd woken up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

"I much agree." She said as he sighed contentedly, stirring their stew, "There is still so much wrong, yet, I feel much calmer. Having you beside me makes it so much easier to be hopeful."

She laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand briefly before seeming to once again remember herself.

"Oh dear! What has gotten into me lately!" She blushed, shaking her head, "I don't mean to keep invading your personal space Link."

As Zelda pulled away to sit a little further away, all at once Link couldn't stand the idea of distance. It had been one hundred years since someone had given him the simple joy of holding hands, shoulders brushing, the warmth and weight of another person there with him. 

He reached out and caught her wrist before she could move any further away. He knew she was staring at him, waiting for an answer, but he'd never really learned how to ask for things he needed just for himself. How would he even explain 'I need to touch you because after a hundred years of missing hylian contact, I don't feel real anymore and I didn't notice until just this moment and now it aches'? There was no reasonable way to say that to a woman, much less a princess without sounding... unsavory.

"Sorry." He said, taking back his hand, "Bug."

Her gaze lingered a second longer before she shook her head and smiled, "Always protecting me. Thank you Link."

The blonde was about to reply guiltily when Zelda ever so gently leaned her shoulder up against his. She didn't say a word, even as he sat there tense for a long moment before willing himself to unclench.

Touch had never really been something he'd been allowed liberal amounts of, but to be getting something like this from the  _ princess? _ Unthinkable. And yet, here he was. Link knew on a basic level how much Hylians relied on touch to communicate. He was hardly the  _ only  _ stoic member of their race. Hylians used touch in place of words fairly regularly, he'd found. But this was  _ the princess.  _

She sighed and nuzzled just a little bit closer.

But then again... maybe after a hundred years of fighting a threat so many times bigger than herself... maybe she needed this just as much as he did. 

Tentatively Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and when she didn't pull away, he allowed himself to rest his cheek on the top of her head. It felt heavenly, an animal comfort he hadn't known he'd been yearning for so strongly finally satisfied. He sighed nearly as strongly as Zelda had, allowing himself to relax as much as he could.

_ "What a sweet picture you two make." _ Came Ganon's audibly amused voice.

Link and Zelda both startled, although as Zelda's ears laid back and her cheeks flooded with color she let out the barest hints of a hiss.

"I know you hardly understand the meaning of the word, but despite your incorporeality, please do allow us a modicum of privacy!" She scolded.

_ "I meant no harm princess. I merely thought you might be interested to know there's a small battalion of bokoblins twenty feet away." _

"You should have led with that!"

_ "Regardless, now you know. Have fun~!" _

Zelda looked ready to find a way to give Ganon a concrete form, if only just to strangle him. She grabbed the bow Link had lent her and nocked a shock arrow as if channeling her ire into the shot as she zeroed in on the Bokoblins. She was quite impressive with a bow, which with how little Link remembered of her was unexpected.

Her arrow hit home, causing the group to seize up where they stood and giving Link the chance to sprint over and begin dispatching them. He sliced through one, then two, as an arrow screamed through the air and nailed another right in the chest before it could hit him from behind. Zelda had covered his back before he'd even sensed the thing coming. 

It didn't take long to best the monsters with Zelda's help.

"How long have you known how to use a bow?" He asked, sheathing his sword as he headed back her way.

"Ah," Zelda smiled a little though the expression was tinged with sadness, "Quite a while. You were actually the one who taught me."

Link blinked, "I was?"

Zelda nodded, "When we had the time, you showed me how to shoot. Father didn't much like the idea but you told him that if anything should ever happen to you, I should be able to defend myself well enough to get away."

At that Link nodded slowly. That sounded pretty reasonable.

"I took to it eagerly." Zelda's smile widened into something much more genuine, "I very much liked the idea of being capable of fighting beside you. It wasn't an option I ever thought I would be given, not truly. But it came very much in handy after-"

She winced, glancing away.

"After you fell."

The phantom ache of torn skin and broken bones teased at the edge of a memory Link could not fully recall. He knew he'd nearly been slain in battle, and he knew Zelda had ultimately rescued him, but he'd never really known how. Had she really fought her way through all of that by herself? 

"I don't remember what happened." Link murmured, "I know you saved me though."

The princess pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, letting out a long deep breath before she spoke.

"If you can call it that. We barely escaped, and you were in such bad shape I thought you had already died. It was the first time my powers manifested and I had absolutely no idea how to summon them or direct them. I got lucky that in the midst of battle they obeyed me, but after we had gotten away it was as if they had never been. I could feel them, under my skin and in my bones but it was a sense I had yet to develop. If I'd bloomed when I was supposed to, I would have known I could easily just have healed you. For that matter, we likely wouldn't have been in such a position to begin with. If I had done as I was meant to you never would have-"

Link touched the edge of her hand with the tips of his fingers and the little touch brought her back to herself.

"I'm sorry Link." She said weightily, "I do not wish to sound as though I want your sympathy. I know the fault of the Calamity resides squarely with me, and I do not expect forgiveness for my failures. I know it has cost you and many others so much, and I intend to do everything that I can to atone for that."

Link winced as her expression folded in on itself. She'd misunderstood what he'd meant, her guilt filling in the shades of his silence.

"Zelda," He began, easily catching her attention with the informal use of her name, "I don't think you're a failure. Not any more than I am. We might have magical powers or whatever, but we're still just a couple of kids. I'm not even old enough to get into the bars in Gerudo Town yet. There's only so much we can be expected to do."

She gave a watery laugh, "Did you  _ try  _ to get into a bar in Gerudo Town?"

"Sorta."

Zelda gave a laugh, the sound accompanied by a highly undignified snort that saw her immediately covering her mouth even as she continued to laugh. Link found himself smiling along with her, a little laugh of his own bubbling at the back of his throat.

"What do you mean, 'sorta'? You cannot begin such a tale and not tell the whole of it!"

He groaned though there was no real complaint in it, "Really princess?  _ That's  _ what you're taking away from this?"

She nodded, her eyes filled with mirth, "The longer you avoid telling me, the more curious I become."

Link sighed, leaning back against the rock he'd sat in front of, "Fine, so it started with this quest..."

As Link told the tale of his adventures with Pokki and her Noble Pursuit he noted that Zelda hadn't really agreed with him on the subject of her guilt. She'd changed subjects deftly, something that he probably wouldn't have noticed had the topic been anything less severe. He wasn't sure what to do with that information, but he knew he would have to find a way to get her to come around. With everything she'd done to keep Hyrule safe, she shouldn't have to feel like that. He had absolutely no idea how to help with something like that. Hell, he didn't even know how to help with  _ his own _ guilt. 

But for the moment she was smiling. That would have to be enough for now.


	4. Lucky Number Seven

"Link I promise I won't make fun of you." Zelda said for what was likely the third time in as many minutes, "On my honor as a pri- Queen."

Link knew he was being ridiculous. Plenty of people had seen him in this outfit, he knew he had no reason for being shy, but he couldn't help it. This was Zelda. 

"Come on, we must go."

She was right. He knew she was.

Link stepped out from behind the curtain he'd used to change, staring pointedly at the ground.

"Well," Zelda began, "I must say, I'm a little jealous."

At that his head snapped up.

She looked it, though he couldn't for the life of him imagine why. She was wearing a purple version of the same outfit and she looked amazing. She'd opted to go without the veil since she hardly needed it, and she's instead styled her hair into a high ponytail like the Gerudo wore to keep cool. If Link ever lost his memories again, he hoped this would be one of the ones that found its way back.

"You have wider hips than I do." She grumbled, "It makes the bottoms suit you better."

Link blinked several times before he could fathom what she'd just said. 

"Thank... you..?"

Zelda waved the words away, "I'm sorry I suppose that's hardly a compliment. You look nice. Oh, perhaps that isn't either. I'm sorry."

What an absurd situation.

"It's okay. Thank you." He shook his head, once again scratching at the back of his head for something to distract himself from his embarrassment.

Zelda nodded before pulling in a deep breath and straightening herself up again.

"If we're very lucky, I know exactly where our target will be."

"Excuse me," Zelda called in her most polite but commanding tone, "Are you a doctor?"

The Gerudo woman turned to them from her place leaning against the wall of the palace, her expression slightly tense as her eyes flickered over them as if she were assessing them.

"I am not, but I do know a good deal about medicine. Are you injured?" 

Link glanced at the woman and vaguely recalled helping her with some sort of medicinal ingredient gathering. She'd been so desperate at the time the lack of it made her hard to recognize.

"No!" Zelda said with a little smile, waving her hands, "But a friend of our's is. Gravely."

"What kind of injury?" She asked, clinical seriousness overcoming her.

"It's... it's difficult to explain." Zelda sighed, "And I fear if I did, you may flee."

The woman glanced between them, pausing on Link for a moment before looking back at Zelda, "Your companion here has done me a great service in the past, and for that I am still indebted to her. I swear on my honor as a Gerudo if it is within my power to do so, I will heal your friend."

Link clenched his jaw, his stomach twisting as the woman swore her oath to them. He'd met so many wonderful people in his travels, he couldn't have been more blessed if he'd tried. As if he'd ever needed any more motivation to want to save Hyrule.

Zelda swallowed hard, seeming to feel the weight of such a promise as keenly as Link did.

"Before you make that oath, I would like to explain the whole of the situation to you." She said, "But not here. Is there anywhere private you know of that we could speak?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, I do."

The Gerudo Secret Club was exactly as Link remembered it. All dark, with mist swirling overhead. Well, over his head, both Zelda and Malena (as she'd introduced herself to Zelda) were taller than him. Honestly he was fairly certain that save for children, everyone in Hyrule was taller than him.

Malena nodded to the shopkeeper who nodded back, giving Link a little knowing smile as they passed by on their way to a little nook tucked right around the back corner.

"This place is well hidden, and very few people know the code to enter. Those who do will not bother us." Malena explained as she sat down.

"Perfect." Zelda replied as she sat down regally across from the other woman.

Link plopped himself down beside Zelda and did his best to remember to keep his body language at least slightly feminine. He crossed his legs.

"This information will be shocking, so please I implore you to listen to the end before you react." Zelda began, "Firstly, my name is Princess Zelda."

Link watched as the Gerudo woman's eyes widened then narrowed, though she didn't say a word as requested.

"I was recently freed by the Hero of Hyrule, Link. He defeated the Calamity with the help of the souls of the four Champions as was his destiny. But something went awry this time that destiny did not foresee. When The Calamity was defeated, it freed another evil more terrible than itself. It is... horrific. It is something much too strong even for Link and I at our strongest, which after such a fight we are nowhere near."

Link's gaze fixed on his shoes. It hurt to admit, but Zelda was right. He could feel the energy that normally propelled him forward had waned significantly after the battle had concluded.

"We are left with precious few options to defeat this evil, and the option we have... it too requires more than Link or I have the skill to do."

"And why does this require a doctor, Princess?" Malena asked, curiosity evidently winning out over skepticism.

"To defeat this evil it must be contained within a vessel. However the vessel we need has been damaged, to put it lightly. It's former tenant has told us of a way to undo the damage but I am unfamiliar both with medicine and the Gerudo form."

Malena seemed puzzled for a moment, an impressively short one, before her eyes were nearly bulging out of her skull. She pulled a deep breath in through her nose before exhaling it nearly in a cough.

"If you mean what I think you mean, I can see why this had to be a private discussion." She wheezed, "No one here would take kindly to such a request. Myself included."

Zelda nodded, her jaw set, "I know it is much to ask-"

"No," Malena cut her off, "It is far too much to ask. That- that voe has been a black spot on the honor of my people for generations. The very notion of helping him, for any reason is heresy."

Zelda winced, "I understand, believe me I do. If there were any other way, I would snatch it up at a moment's notice."

Malena focused her gaze on Zelda for a long moment before shaking her head.

"I wish you all the luck in the world Princess, but I cannot do this for you."

Zelda opened her mouth to try to convince her again, but to her surprise Link beat her to it.

"If this evil is allowed to roam freely unchecked, it will destroy us all. Every Hylian, every Rito, every Gerudo man, woman and child. It won't be like with the Calamity, there will not be survivors to begin a new generation to fight again. This will be the end. I've seen it."

Malena looked shocked, either by what he'd said or because his voice was obviously male, he wasn't sure. But he continued regardless.

"I know you don't want Ganon back, and believe me, neither do I. I've dedicated my life, every life that I've lived to stopping him. And it's cost me nearly everything, every time, so to throw all of that away to bring him back feels like the single worst move we can make. I understand how you feel. But if the choice is between giving up my freedom, my honor, my pride, or losing all of Hyrule to death and ruin? To me it isn't a choice at all."

For a long moment Malena was silent, her gold eyes burning into Link's blues as she let his words settle over her. Her jaw clenched and unclenched over and over as she warred with herself on what to do.

"This evil," She began, "If it is as powerful as you say, how can you know that this will stop it?"

"We don't." Zelda whispered, "But it's the only hope we have."

At that Malena let out a long, shaky breath, her shoulders slumping. Zelda's hand found its way to Link's leg and anxiously squeezed at his knee. 

"If I do this, regardless of the outcome, it will most likely see me exiled." She ran her hands down her face, "I will never see my mother and sisters again."

Link's chest ached sympathetically. He knew what it was like to lose so many people.

"But better they disown me than die for my selfishness." She replied, raising her chin, "I have never been a coward and I will not begin today. I do not like this plan, but I like the idea of meeting death meekly even less."

Link saw a tear trail down Zelda's face from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you." She replied, her voice heavy with emotion, "Thank you so much."

They left the city that night with Malena in tow. She had said her goodbyes to her family, though she refused to tell them why. Her younger sister had kept a stoic facade despite the tears in her eyes, insisting that she take her favorite hairpin. Malena had accepted it with the promise that she would always keep it safe. 

Link had been unable to watch any longer than that.

When Malena had joined them outside of the walls of the city, Link had just finished changing back into his own clothes. She gave him a quick once over but said nothing else.

"Where is the body?" She asked as she approached their little impromptu camp.

Zelda nodded to Link who went about unwrapping the corpse. It still looked just as awful as it had three days ago.

Malena winced, glancing at Zelda before she began her examination. 

She was quiet as she ran her hands over nearly every muscle and seam, looking for what, Link had no idea. 

"As mummified corpses go, this one is in good condition." She spoke, "No obvious trauma, no signs of what killed him."

"Is that a good thing?" Zelda asked hesitantly.

"Yes, it means there shouldn't be much additional damage to fix after whatever you have planned to resurrect him. The biggest issues will be with muscle atrophy." 

Zelda nodded, "I suspected that."

Malena sat back on her haunches, "There is a spring by the mountain inhabited by the Goron that is perported for it's healing abilities. That would be the ideal place for something this ambitious."

"That was where we were heading to." 

"Good. I will accompany you there."

"Thank you." Zelda said once again, "We have one more stop to make on the way, though luckily it's nearby. Although I will admit, it's the stop I am least looking forward to."

"Where are we going?" Malena asked as Link wrapped Ganon's body up again.

"To pay a visit to the Yiga Clan." Zelda made the words sound like a curse, obviously eager to spit them out as quickly as possible.

Malena made a face nearly as horrified as Link felt, "Why?"

"Because if there's anyone who will know how to resurrect Ganon's soul, it will be them."

"I dislike how rational that is. I very much dislike this entire plan." Malena spoke for both herself and Link as well honestly.

"I agree. Keenly." Zelda shuddered, "But there's nothing for it."

Link sighed and Malena gave a solemn nod, "Then there is little point in stalling."

Link had found the Yiga Clan hideout more or less on accident the first time he'd been there. He was looking for Gerudo town but he'd come in from the wrong side. He'd gotten all the way inside and nearly made it halfway through the stronghold before someone had noticed him and he'd been forced to flee.

This time however, was going to be very different.

For starters they were walking right in. 

Link had demanded to take point, as his nerves couldn't bear to watch Zelda charge right into an enemy stronghold. He'd much rather be run through with a sickle than let her be. 

Malena was bringing up the rear for similar reasons. Like all Gerudo she'd been trained to fight with a sword and would be handy as backup. She likewise couldn't bear to leave the Princess vulnerable. 

Despite their relatively decent formation, Link still felt like every hair on his body was standing on end.

"We have visitors!" A voice rang out from somewhere, though Link couldn't see a single soul.

Par for the course when it came to the Yiga really.

"Visitors?"

"Look it's the little wandering hero!"

"And who is that with him?"

"The princess?"

"The princess!"

Zelda squared her shoulders and took a step forward before Link could stop her. 

Everything moved far too quickly. Before the next beat of Link's heart, a sea of Yiga appeared around them at every angle. Hanging from the walls, dripping from the ceiling and most alarmingly, right in front of them with a knife to Zelda's throat. 

To her credit she didn't so much as flinch.

Link's own sword was pressed up against the Yiga's ribs, right at the angle he would need to thrust it cleanly into his lungs if he twitched wrong. 

"And to what do we owe the honor Princess?" The Yiga said, giving no indication that he'd noticed Link's sword.

"Step back." Link snarled.

"It's alright Link." Zelda held up a hand, "We would react the same if one of them came into our territory."

Link hated it anyway. He didn't put down his sword.

"I have come here to ask for your help." Zelda explained, "It concerns your master."

Though the Yiga wore a mask, his shock was still palpable via the way his shoulders rose ever so slightly.

"We're listening."

"I intend to resurrect Ganondorf, but to do so is beyond the scope of the magic I possess. Given that this was your original intent, I assume you have someone who could do such a thing."

"You..." The Yiga laughed mirthlessly, "You intend to resurrect master Ganon? To what end?"

"This is not your concern." Zelda said cooly, "That is something I would discuss with your leader. Can you do it or not?"

Link had been impressed with Zelda dozens of times before, but this was a new level. She sounded so commanding, so unshakable even with a knife to her throat. Like a Queen, even in the midst of a crowd of enemy soldiers.

"Of course we can." Came a voice from behind the crowd that Link did not recognize, "But I'm afraid, understandably, we don't trust you."

The crowd parted to make way for a Yiga Link was certain he had not seen before. He was tall and broad like some of the windcleaver wielding Yiga Link had come across, but he wasn't wearing a mask like the rest of them. He was young, though older than both himself and Zelda, with wavy chin length blonde hair. Though between that and the fair features he looked much more similar to Link himself than he would have anticipated from someone so obviously different. The expression on his face was mischievously amused, the look in his eyes sharp and calculated. He was hardly what Link had been expecting out of a Clan he'd beaten so easily.

"I do understand." Zelda said easily, glancing at the Yiga who still had his weapon on her.

The newcomer gestured at him and the Yiga lowered his weapon, prompting Link to reluctantly do the same.

"I'm afraid I've not met you." Zelda's diplomacy was admirable when every inch of Link itched to fight and flee with Zelda tucked as close to him as he could get her, "I'm Princess Zelda."

The Yiga nodded his head, albeit a little sarcastically, "Nice to meet you Princess. I am Seven, Leader of the Yiga Clan."

He shot a look at Link as if sensing his curiosity before it had fully formed.

"I took over after you defeated master Kohga. I've made a few changes as you might note. Increased security being one of them." He smiled sharply, gesturing around them, "Can't have people just sneaking in here can we?"

"No sir!" The crowd bellowed in sync.

That explained the sudden militarization they'd displayed. The Yiga had not been so organized before.

"Now, you were saying about resurrecting master Ganon." Seven crossed his arms, "Why would you want to go and do a thing like that?"

Zelda visibly braced herself before explaining the situation over again. Seven listened with intent, though he hardly reacted in any other way as Zelda explained things from the beginning, including their dream conversations with Ganon himself.

When she'd finished Seven leaned back, his expression easing just a little.

"So then master would be taken over once again if we were to go through with this." He sighed, "That is far less than ideal."

"While I agree, there's hardly anything we can do to prevent that."

Seven tsked, waving a finger at the princess, "Speak for yourself."

Zelda frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid that's none of your business." The Yiga leader smiled, "Do you want my help or not?"

Warning sirens were blaring in Link's head and he was certain he could hear Ganon laughing somewhere in his mind. He didn't like that, not at all. 

Obviously Zelda didn't either.

"I do not trust you." Zelda replied, tipping out of the diplomatic tone she'd been using since the encounter started, though she reached her hand out to him.

Seven took it with a thin, crooked smirk gracing his lips as he kissed the back of it.

"Then we're on even ground." 

To Link's surprise, Seven insisted they stay the night. It was getting close to evening by the time he and Zelda had finished their negotiations, but Link had been anticipating leaving and setting up camp.

"Ridiculous!" Seven had said, "We're allies now. No need to sleep out in the cold."

Link knew he wasn't going to sleep a wink that night. 

"All things considered, I think that went about as well as it could have." Zelda sighed, leaning herself up against Link. 

Wrapping an arm around her came a little more naturally this time.

"I do not like the implications of what their leader said earlier." Malena shook her head, "He is a crafty one, I can smell it."

Nodding, Zelda pressed herself a little closer to Link, "He's certainly up to something. I could sense magic on him. Only very powerful practitioners emanate magic that way. If he intends to somehow free Ganon from the evil's grip..."

She yawned, "It would be less than ideal, but certainly nothing we couldn't handle."

Malena's expression softened, "Rest now. Link and I will stand guard."

Zelda nodded, her eyes slipping shut. She was asleep in less than three minutes.

"For a diplomat, she is quite a fighter."

If Zelda hadn't been perched on his shoulder, Link would have drawn his sword and spun towards the source of the voice. As it was he tensed, his hand flying to it's hilt. Malena, however, had no such restrictions and did so for him.

"Relax," Seven chuckled, "I brought food, not trouble."

Link watched Malena give the food a once over before sheathing her sword.

"So jumpy." He said as he placed the plates down, "You'd think you were expecting to be attacked."

He sat himself down across from where Link sat and began digging into his food as if there were nothing wrong. He didn't even look to be armed. Though, if he were as powerful as Zelda said, he hardly needed to be Link supposed.

He'd changed clothes entirely. From the red uniform the Yiga wore to a sleeveless red tunic with black trousers. The only indication of his station was a tattoo of the clan's symbol on his upper bicep. 

"Why are you here?" Malena asked, once again speaking what Link was thinking as well.

Seven downed another piece of... was that meat? To the best of Link's knowledge the Yiga only ate their mighty bananas. Huh.

"Because if we're going to be working together, however briefly, we need at least a bare minimum of trust. Can't have you so freaked out by me that you go and stab me for walking up behind you." He replied.

That was... valid.

Hesitantly Malena reached out for the plate she'd been presented with and poked at it.

Seven sighed and rolled his eyes, "It isn't poisoned."

She glanced up at him before bravely taking a bite. After the first she was shoveling the food into her mouth.

"This is delicious." She said between bites, "What is it?"

"Lamb with mushroom gravy." Seven replied, "We've been branching out. A few of our members have a real passion for cooking."

Link had such a sense of vertigo it was unbelievable.

Seven's eyes slid over to him. They were a curious shade of green, pale enough that it was hard to tell if they were truly green or just a very light blue, with a hint of gold circling the iris. Link couldn't remember seeing the shade on either a Hylian or a Sheikah before. Or really any other type of Hyrulian.

"I meant to thank you earlier." Seven smiled at Link, seeming to give little mind that he was still chewing on a sopping piece of roll, "If you hadn't taken out that old fool Kohga, I would still be locked in the basement."

Link blinked, trying not to physically reel back so as not to wake Zelda.

Seven's smile grew sharper, "Ah, you've only met those of us who liked him. I and a few of my kin were not half so fond."

"Why were you in the basement?" Malena once again chimed in.

Seven pursed his lips, "A number of reasons. Mainly because I'm scary."

A frown took over Link's entire face. He didn't like the idea of something so scary the Yiga, who worshiped Ganon would lock it away.

"Scary how?" He asked, his hand finding its way back to his sword again.

Seven noticed the movement but hardly seemed bothered by it.

"I'm certain your princess told you. I'm quite good with magic." He smirked again, "And I don't much care for being given orders by foolish old men. When it became apparent to Kouga that I would try to usurp him as leader of the clan, he had me drugged and thrown in the basement. Kept me that way for quite a while. Until you showed up and defeated him. In all the chaos they forgot to drug me for a couple days. Their mistake really."

His smile turned into something truly savage and Link abruptly pitied any of the Yiga who had been caught in the storm he must have been.

But then he shrugged and the expression melted back into his previous sharp but friendly smile.

"Now the clan has a new leader and I'm free to do as I please. Well mostly." He took another large bite of his food, "Things have never been better."

Link felt a shiver trace down his spine.

"Wasn't the point of this dinner to make us trust you more?" Malena was frowning, "Why would you tell us something like that?"

"Would you rather I lied to you?" Seven feigned innocence, "I would think knowing what you're working with would be a comfort."

No, Link decided, it most certainly wasn't.


End file.
